Pneumatic hopper outlet construction for railway cars and the like



June 27. 1967 w. E. FRITZ PNEUMATIC HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 4, 1966 June 27, 1967 w. E. FRITZ PNEUMATIC HOPPE R OUTLET CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 4, 1966 United States Patent 3,328,091 PNEUMATIC HOPPER OUTLET CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CARS AND THE LIKE William E. Fritz, Hinsdale, 111., assignor to Fabco Engineering Co., Inc., Hinsdale, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Mar. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 531,910 8 Claims. (Cl. 30252) This invention rel-ates, generally, to the construction of lading outlets for hoppers of railway cars, trucks and the like and it has particular relation to outlets for pneumatic handling of lading. It constitutes an improvement over the construction as shown in the copending application of Robert R. McNamara, Ser. No. 531,116, filed Mar. 2, 1966, and assigned to the assignee of this application.

The application, above referred to, discloses a hopper outlet construction that can be employed for either gravity or pneumatic unloading of lading, such as finely divided material of the nature, of cement, dry chemicals, grain, etc. The present invention makes use of certain principles of operation described in that application and shows how these principles can be applied in a construction in which there is provision only for pneumatic unloading.

, Among the objects of this invention are: To provide for completely unloading lading from a hopper by pneumatic means in a new and improved manner; to employ for this purpose a pair of horizontally aligned spaced apart openings into individual lading receiving conduits adapted to extend underneath a pile of lading common to the two openings in a new and improved manner; to form the lading receiving conduits by lengthwise dividing the space between an inverted generally U-shaped hood overlying a fiat bottom of a rectangular hopper closure member that is generally pan shaped with the lading receiving openings being defined by the lower edges of the hood and the adjacent upper surface portions of the bottom of the closure member; to place the lading receiving conduits in communication with suction conduits individual thereto through openings in opposite sides of the hopper closure member; to join the pairs of suction conduits at nozzles to either of which a source of negative pneumatic pressure, either air or other gas, is connected for withdrawing the lading from the hopper; and to provide a damper at each nozzle for controlling the suction applied to the suction conduits.

In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a fragmentary lower portion of a hopper having a hopper outlet construction embodying this invention applied thereto. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

In the drawings the reference character designates, generally, a hopper of a railway car or truck that has a hopper opening 11 through which lading therein can flow downwardly. The hopper 10 may be formed of metallic inclined hopper end sheets 12 and 13 and metallic inclined hopper side sheets 14 and 15. These sheets are suitably secured together, as by welding, and are joined to form the hopper opening 11 that is rectangular in configuration. While these sheets are shown as being inclined, certain of them can be vertical sheets as may be desired.

Associated with and secured to the hopper 10 is a hopper outlet construction that is indicated, generally, at 16 that is formed by a rectangular hopper closure member of metal which is generally pan shaped. It includes upwardly inclined ends 18 and 19 that underlie the hopper end sheets 12 and 13. Also it includes upwardly inclined sides 20 and 21 which underlie the hopper side sheets 14 and 15. An integral construction is provided by welding "Ice the hopper outlet construction 16 to the hopper 10. The ends 18 and 19 and sides 20 and 21 are joined by a flat bottom or floor 22.

In order to provide for pneumatically withdrawing lading that flows through the hopper opening 11, the pan shaped hopper outlet construction 16 has mounted thereon an inverted generally U-shaped metallic hood 25 the ends of which are secured, as by welding, to the upwardly inclined sides 20 and 21 as shown in FIG. 1. These sides 20 and 21 are provided with triangularly shaped openings 26 and 27 which place the interior of the inverted generally U-shaped hood 25 in communication with the outside of the pan shaped hopper outlet construction 16. The lower edges 28 and 29, FIG. 2, of the hood 25 are spaced from the adjacent portions 30 and 31 of the fiat bottom or floor 22 and thereby define horizon-tally aligned spaced apart openings 32 and 33 along the edges of the flat bottom or floor 22 for receiving lading from a pile 34 thereof which extends over the hood 25 and is common to the openings 32 and 33.

In accordance with this invention divider wall means 35 extends endwise of the hood 25 so as to divide it into separate and distinct lading receiving conduits 36 and 37 having the openings 32 and 33, respectively, along the sides thereof. At one end, FIG. 1, of the hood 25 suction conduits 38 and 39 are provided which are individual to the lading receiving conduits 36 and 37. In a similar manner at the other end of the hood 25 suction conduits 40 and 41 are provided which are individual, respectively, to the other ends of the lading receiving conduits 36 and 37. The suction conduits 38-39 and 4041 are formed by top walls 42 and bottom walls 43, FIG. 3, the latter constituting horizontal extensions of the flat bottom or floor 22. The suction conduits also are defined by inclined side walls 44 and 45. It will be observed in FIGS. 1 and 3 that the divider wall means 35 extends through the openings 26 and 27 in the sides 20 and 21 to the outer ends of the suction conduits 38-39 and 40-41. These conduits are joined by nozzles 46 and 47 to which a hose, such as the hose 48, FIG. 1, can be connected. The hose 48 is arranged to be connected to a suitable source of negative pneumatic pressure and it can be connected to one or the other of the nozzles 46 or 47 depending upon the side of the hopper 10 that is convenient for unloading.

The mounting of the nozzles 46 and 47 is the same for each. It includes a support plate 50 through which the respective nozzle 46 or 47 extends. A gasket 51 on the outer side of each support plate 50 is arranged to be engaged by a closure cap 52 for sealing engagement. The

i closure cap 52 is pivoted at 53 on the support plate 50.

On the other side of the support plate 50 there is an ear 54 to which a clamp bolt 55 is pivoted at 56. A hand wheel nut 57 on the bolt 55 is employed for clamping the closure cap 52 in sealing engagement with the gasket 51.

In order to control individually the application of vacuum to the suction conduits 38-39 and 40-41 and thereby to the lading receiving conduits 36 and 37, a semi-circular damper 58 is provided for each of the nozzles 46 and 47. Each damper 58 is mounted on a rotatable vertical shaft 59 that has a handle 60 for rotating it. Extending from the shaft 59 is an arm 61 which has an aperture 62 at its distal end for receiving a pin 63 that is arranged to project into a selected aperture 64 in a quadrant 65 for the purpose of holding the damper 58 in any position to which it may be adjusted.

A sealing strip 66, FIG. 1, can be employed to prevent unauthorized operation of the hand wheel nut 57.

While the nozzles 46 and 47 have been illustrated on opposite sides of the hopper 10, it will be understood that one of the nozzles can be omitted where the unloading always takes place from the same side. However, since the side available for unloading ordinarily is indeterminate, the two nozzles 46 and 47 are provided.

In operation the sealing strip 66 is broken and the hand wheel nut 57 is rotated to release the closure cap 52. Then the hose 58 is applied as shown in FIG. 1. Vacuum then is applied in the direction indicated by arrow 67. Initially the damper 58 is centrally positioned so that the suction is applied equally to the suction conduits 38 and 39 as indi cated by arrows 68 and 69. If it desired to vary this relationship, then the semi-circular damper 58 is shifted from the central position to one side or the other. The vacuum or negative pressure is applied to the lading receiving conduits 36 and 37 and to the openings 32 and 33 as indicated by arrows 70 and 71, FIG. 2. The lading 34 then flows in the directions indicated by the several arrows and continues to flow until one or the other of the Openings 32 or 33 is uncovered. When this Occurs the lading which covers the other opening ordinarily is not withdrawn because of the loss of vacuum at this location. When this occurs, the semi-circular damper 58 is moved to close off the suction conduit 38 or 39 associated with the uncovered opening 32 or 33. Then all of the vacuum is applied to the covered opening 32 or 33 and the remainder of the lading is completely withdrawn.

If desired, further control can be effected when the hose 48 is applied, as described, to the nozzle 46 by opening the closure cap 52 associated with the nozzle 47 and by adjusting the damper 58 associated therewith to provide the desired relationship. This operation can be employed at the termination of the unloading operation to assist in completely removing the lading.

What is claimed as new is:

1. For combination with a railway car or the like having a hopper for discharging lading downwardly through a hopper opening, pneumatic hopper discharge means comprising:

a rectangular hopper closure member having upstanding sides and ends for surrounding said hopper opening and a bottom,

an inverted generally U-shaped hood extending between said sides of said hopper closure member at least one of which sides is apertured to place the space within said hood in communication with the space outside said hopper closure member,

the lower edges of said hood being spaced from said bottom to provide therewith a pair of horizontally aligned spaced apart openings for receiving lading from a common pile between the ends of said closure member,

divider wall means extending endwise of said hood and forming therewith and with said bottom a pair of separate and distinct lading receiving conduits, one for each of said openings,

a suction conduit individual to each lading receiving conduit and communicating therewith through the aperture in said one side of said hopper closure member, and

means commonly interconnecting said suction conduits and adapted to be connected to a negative source of pneumatic pressure whereby suction can be applied individually to each lading receiving opening independently of the other lading receiving opening.

2. Pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 1 characterized in that:

a nozzle provides the common connection to the suction conduits, and

a damper controls the communication between said suction conduits and said nozzle.

3. The pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 2 characterized in that the divider wall means extends through the aperture in the one side Wall to the damper and forms a part of each suction conduit.

4. The pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 3 characterized in that the bottom of the hopper closure member is fiat and the bottom of the suction conduits is an extension of said bottom.

5. The pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 1 characterized in that:

both sides of the hopper closure member at the ends of the hood are apertured to facilitate unloading from either end,

suction conduits are connected to both ends of the lading receiving conduits and communicate therewith through the aperture in the respective side of said hopper closure, and

a nozzle provides a common connection to each pair of suction conduits.

6. The pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 5 characterized in that a damper controls the communication between each pair of suction conduits and the nozzle connected thereto whereby communication to either suction conduit and thereby to the respective lading conduit can be individually controlled at either nozzle.

7. The pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 6 characterized in that the divider wall means eX- tends through both apertured sides to the respective damper and forms parts of each pair of suction conduits.

8. The pneumatic hopper discharge means claimed in claim 7 characterized in that the bottom of the hopper closure member is flat and the bottoms of both pairs of suction conduits are extensions of said bottom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,079,032 2/1963 Dorey 30252 3,105,721 10/1963 Collins et al. 30252 3,220,778 11/1965 Aller 30252 3,258,173 6/1966 Koranda 30252 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. FOR COMBINATION WITH A RAILWAY CAR OR THE LIKE HAVING A HOPPER FOR DISCHARGE LADING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH A HOPPER OPENING, PNEUMATIC HOPPER DISCHARGE MEANS COMPRISING: A RECTANGULAR HOPPER CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING UPSTANDING SIDES AND ENDS FOR SURROUNDING SAID HOPPER OPENING AND A BOTTOM, AN INVERTED GENERALLY U-SHAPED HOOD EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SIDES OF SAID HOPPER CLOSURE MEMBER AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH SIDES IS APERTURED TO PLACE THE SPACE WITHIN SAID HOOD IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE SPACE OUTSIDE SAID HOPPER CLOSURE MEMBER, THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID HOOD BEING SPACED FROM SAID BOTTOM TO PROVIDE THEREWITH A PAIR OF HORIZONTALLY ALIGNED SPACED APART OPENINGS FOR RECEIVING LADING FROM A COMMON PILE BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER, DIVIDER, WALL MEANS EXTENDING ENDWISE OF SAID HOOD AND FORMING THEREWITH AND WITH SAID BOTTOM A PAIR OF SEPARATE AND DISTINCT LADING RECEIVING CONDUITS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID OPENINGS, A SUCTION CONDUIT INDIVIDUAL TO EACH LADING RECEIVING CONDUIT AND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH THROUGH THE APERTURE IN SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID HOPPER CLOSURE MEMBER, AND 